Stimulus-responsive hydrogels hold potential utility in numerous areas including, but not limited to, robotic actuation, microfluidic control, sensory technology, optical devices, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. Electrically responsive hydrogels, in particular, are desirable due to their potential compatibility with electrical circuitry and subsequent amenability to microprocessor-based control. This, in turn, affords these materials the ability to be controlled in scenarios requiring complex and precise timing—such as those aforementioned. Despite such promise, electrically responsive hydrogels have been plagued by poor electrical responsivity.
Accordingly, there is need in the art for electrically responsive hydrogels with enhanced electrical response.